Churches in South Africa have come under severe criticism over their delayed response to the Aids epidemic. This critique presupposes that churches missed an enormous 'kairos moment' to turn around the tide of the epidemic had they not 'hidden their heads in the sand' for far too long. This book unravels the brief and thrilling early history of Aids in South Africa to argue that during the 1980s ecumenical churches were ideologically, socio- culturally, and politically unprepared for the task, just like the rest of the society in South Africa by that time.